Anybody have an actively multi-amplified system?

Rodman, I too, would love to try the Accuphase DF-55. It's infinitely flexible, so other than perhaps software updates from time to time, it would be a set-and-forget unit, and likely you'd never sell it, nor be able to easily. And, unfortunately, it lists for $22,000. For that money, I gotta try before I buy. Even though there is one for sale here for a steal ($9000), virtually brand new in the box, I just don't like all the D/A and A/D conversion that will go on with an analog input. I'm sure it's really good conversion, but it's just occuring too many times, IMO. If you have a digital source with attenuation, then it should sound pretty damn awesome. You are, of course, now listening to an Accuphase DAC (actually many of them), they're pretty good I'm sure, if you like Delta-Sigma DACs. Personally, I think Delta-Sigma DACs, even multiple ones in parallel, have a particular sound that simply can't match the R2R Burr-Browns, no matter what power supply or surrounding circuitry you throw at them. In any case, the guy who has one for sale has an audio store, but can't even hook it up, he doesn't have the speakers necessary to do so. So even if you go there, you can't listen to it, and it's likely the only one in the country opened up that one could theoretically listen to. You spends your money and you takes your chances.

I couldn't agree more, about trying before buying(at that price). When my Tact RCS 2.2X was new; it cost around $5000.00(not as deep a bite) and I knew it was easily modded. Like the Accuphase; it performs A/D and D/A, for both my sources and I am just giving up a VERY slight bit of transparency, compared to the one DynamiCap polypropylene hi-pass capacitor, per channel, in the modded Dahlquist DQ-LP1 I was using. That is far outweighed by the benefits of the active HI/LO filtering, room correction & time alignment that it performs. One would reasonably expect the Accuphase unit(at it's price point) to far exceed my Tact's performance, right out of the box(unmodded). The A/D converter operates at 24 bit/172.4 kHz & the digital input; at up to 192kHz, which should result in virtually no loss. Is there no way to audition that one for $9K, or any other of the same model, anywhere?

Hi Crispy98006,

I'm listening to DALI MegaLine III speakers which employ an active external crossover...four BAT VK-150SE monoblocks in this system :-)

Best regards,

Sam

Speaker and amplifier designers are invested in the status quo. The proof is that there is no real push to go in the active direction from the equipment designers, even though the results would be superior to what they now produce.

I own the TAD Reference One's, which I biamp passively with the help of a DEQX HDP4. When I approached Andrew Jones for guidance in bypassing the internal crossovers in the TAD's, he gave me the cold shoulder (to put it politely).